How The Allies Won WWII

Dwight David Eisenhower, General of the Army and Supreme Commander of The Allied Expeditionary Forces, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, General George Patton, General Of The Army Air Force Henry Arnold and Admirals Bull Halsey and Chester Nimitz, not to mention General George McArthur and their Russian counterparts and the Great Russian Winter (as well as the well-known truth: Russians Beat Prussians) each did their part to defeat the terrible and destructive forces of evil led by Adolph Hitler and his lesser, but no-less-evil, destructive confederates.

However, the basic fact of the matter is that the end of WW2 can be traced to the enlistment and efforts of seven very young friends from Narrows, Virginia. These mountain men opted out of their senior year of High School and joined the crusade against evil. They took their young bodies, hunting and athletic skills and turned the tide that soon brought the end to this terrible conflict.

Had they not made this sacrifice, the world would be a different place.

These seven trained together, shipped out together, saw action in both theaters of war and were responsible for shooting down enemy planes and supporting the launch of our own fighters off of the carriers on which they served. They were skilled welders, machinists – but most of all they were gunners.

They fired machine guns. They stood on the decks of CV-4, The USS Ranger, and fired the pitiful 50 calibre machine guns bare naked of any protection as the German fighters, bombers and torpedo planes attacked the ship. My dad, who rarely spoke of the action, did mention that, on one occasion, he could see the faces of the enemy pilots. The little Ranger had been a cruiser and had been converted into a light carrier. It had come through the Panama Canal and it was there that the seven did some work on the cranes and machinery of that important waterway. A few years ago, I got to see some of the hardware they had serviced.

They and the planes they supported patrolled the dangerous waters from Canada to the A, B, C islands, a favorite hideout for German submarines. Dad had some scars from a fight or two that was not war-related. Funny about that. I bet she WAS pretty.

After VE, the SEVEN, sans the Ranger, were sent to duty in the Pacific. They toiled on a couple of cruisers and a destroyer. They repaired guns and other equipment, but primarily, they were still gunners. This time they saw action against the Japanese fighters and bombers. Their weapon was an anti-aircraft cannon that needed manual loading and manual aiming. The team of seven did pretty well.

Hearing that the seven boys from Narrows were heading for his home islands, the Emperor decided to quit. Good move. The A-bombs turned out to be the most merciful calling cards ever delivered. Millions of lives were spared and a new Japan was created by General MacArthur from the rubble of Imperial Japan. The General could have handled things in Korea and SE China too, but his boys from Narrows were back home, marrying sweethearts and making babies and lives.

I wish it had been happily ever after for each of them and for their families.

Suicide and sadness was the price some of these men paid for our victory over tyranny. Their families and friends suffered too. But, tell you what, we will never forget what they did for us

I have the flag that covered my Dad's casket. My brothers have other mementos. We all have his hard-headed spirit. We are so proud of our uncles who served in the USN. We honor each of the boys from the hills who have gone to wars and police actions and private battles and lost their lives, health and innocence on some nameless an unimportant field.

Memorial, for me, is not a day, it is a feeling. It is stirred when I see THE flag. It is conjured up when I see any person in uniform.

Duty. Honor. Sacrifice. And that's how the seven young men from Narrows, Virginia won the Second World War.

Hats off and shoulders back to EVERYONE who has served and is serving this country in its time of need.

A grateful son of the mountains, Tim © www.timjohnsonphoto.com